Not only did the late Carol Channing step into the world of The Bold and the Beautiful in 1993 as a guest star on the show, but Jeff Tracta (who played Thorne Forrester from 1989 to 1996) stepped into Channing’s world when he appeared on Broadway.
“I have many wonderful stories about Carol,” Tracta tells Soap Hub. “I first met her when I was sitting in a makeup chair one morning at B&B.
“All of a sudden, this white head of hair enters and I hear that distinct voice of hers say, ‘Oh, my goodness! It’s Thorne!’ I said, ‘Carol Channing? What are you doing here?’ She said, ‘I’m a very good friend of Bill and Lee Bill [B&B’s creators]. I have never missed an episode.'”
Tracta recalls Channing having one question for him: “Why are you so mean to Ridge?” In the early years of the show, the Forrester brothers were often at odds over Caroline (Joanna Johnson), resulting in Thorne shooting his older sibling!
After Channing’s appearance on B&B, she socialized with casts of both soaps at the shows’ annual holiday parties held at the Bell home.
Tracta and Channing reunited when he temporarily left B&B to take over the role of Danny Zuko in Grease on Broadway. The B&B press department set the actor up with tickets to see the legend in Hello, Dolly! at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in New York.
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He was invited to go backstage to see her immediately after the show — where he received not only a warm greeting from Channing, but some free publicity, too!
“Carol took my hand and dragged me out on stage while people were still leaving the theater,” Tracta recalls. “She said, ‘Everybody! This young man is replacing Jon Secada as Danny Zuko in Grease!’ That was my [real] Broadway debut!”
The Bold and the Beautiful airs weekdays on CBS. Check local listings for air times.
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